The present invention relates in general to a system that provides for the attenuation of shock, and in particular, to a separation device, such as a frangible joint for example, having shock attenuation features formed integrally therein.
Frangible joints of various design configurations are common, for example, those comprising a hollow form extrusion. Also, various devices for shock attenuation are also known, for example, those that include a cylindrical flexible structure having one or more viscoelastic members secured to an outer surface of the cylindrical structure. In this known arrangement, the cylindrical structure has machined features to manage the stiffness and shock transmissibility therethrough. The cylindrical structure may be used, for example, as a shock isolation mount between a spacecraft and a launch vehicle.
Frangible joints typically utilize an explosive charge to fracture the frangible joint at a predetermined location. It should be appreciated that while the frangible joints typically contain all or substantially all of the explosive event and the resulting debris, the separation event generates a considerable shock loading that is transmitted through the structural components to the remainder of the system. As payloads have been come smaller and lighter, in some cases they have also become more susceptible to damage from shock loading. The shock attenuation devices reduce the impact of the shock loading on the adjoining structures.
However, this arrangement suffers from the drawback that additional hardware components beyond the cylindrical structure (i.e., the viscoelastic members along with corresponding outer rigid constraining members secured to the outer surface of each viscoelastic member) are required to achieve the desired amount of shock attenuation between the components of the spacecraft.
Accordingly, while existing frangible joints and shock attenuation devices are suitable for their intended purposes the need for improvement remains, particularly in providing a separation system that includes shock attenuation features formed integrally therein, thereby reducing or eliminating the need for additional components to achieve the desired amount of shock attenuation.